Changes in roadwork policy will affect drivers but WSDOT says workers have to be kept safe

In the wake of rising roadwork zone fatalities, the Washington State Department of Transportation has directed crews to do what’s needed to feel safe — without regard for driver inconvenience. Roadwork crash fatalities in Washington doubled between 2022 and 2023, despite the construction zone crash rate declining to 1,228, according to WSDOT. Nearly 800 people were injured in roadwork crashes in Washington last year, Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste said at a news conference Thursday at the agency’s Vancouver …